Foundations
by FifiDoll
Summary: Songfic based off of Kate Nash's song Foundations. Ron and Hermione are having relationship problems. Don't read if you're a Ron lover; you'll probably be offended at the depiction of him. Rated for language and light violence.


**Disclaimer – I don't own anything. The characters/places belong to JK Rowling and the song is Foundations by Kate Nash.**

**Author's Note – This is set about five years or so out of Hogwarts, assuming that Ron is dense and it takes him a long time to ask Hermione out. Lots of Ron bashing, so don't read if you love him. Also, I tried to keep it compliant to the books.**

**Foundations**

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger sat in the family room of their modest flat, chatting with old friends from Hogwarts. Harry Potter sat next to his fiancé Ginny Weasley, and the new couple Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood joined them for their traditional Thursday night dinner and drinks. It was a monthly thing; the couples would get together and spend the evening together, eating dinner, having a drink, and catching up on each others' lives. Ron and Hermione were hosting this time. "Mum says hello, by the way, Ron," Ginny added during a break in the conversation. "And she wants you to visit."

Hermione giggled as Ron cringed, and said, "You know why he never goes around there anymore, right?"

"There's an actual reason?" Ginny asked, shocked. "I thought he was just being a git."

"Nope," Hermione shook her head.

The others looked interested in the story Hermione was going to tell, but Ron just looked annoyed. "Well, we were over there about a month ago. Bill and Fleur were visiting with little Victoire and I managed to get Ron to agree to change her diaper. So what does he do? Takes off the diaper and leaves the poor girl lying there while he searches the house for another one. He finally finds one and goes back to her, just in time for her to pee all over everything, including him!" Hermione said excitedly, causing everyone to laugh hysterically.

Everyone, that is, except Ron. "Right, well, if you actually told me these things happen, I would have been more careful," he shot, then turned to Harry, his expression totally changed. "You see, most babies don't take a piss all over the person that's so graciously changing their diapers."

"Okay, Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes. "If I want intelligent input when it comes to kids I'll ask someone else. Just have another beer and shut your face."

The other four were caught off guard at the aggressiveness between the two. Three years of dating and they still were at each others' throats. Everyone wanted to say something, but nobody had the guts. They just let the fighting continue. "Hermione, why do you always have to be such a know-it-all bitch? You're not a mother, you can't say shit about taking care of kids either," Ron argued.

"I've taken care of a fair few children! And I'm a woman so it's in my nature," she shot back. "Now grow up and get over it!"

"Bitch," Ron mumbled under his breath, shaking his head as Hermione fired up a new conversation.

_Thursday night, everything's fine, except you've got that look in your eye,  
When I'm telling a story and you find it boring,  
You're thinking of something to say.  
You'll go along with it then drop it and humiliate me in front of our friends._

_Then I'll use that voice that you find annoying and say something like,  
"Yeah, intelligent input, darling, why don't you just have another beer then?  
Then you'll call me a bitch,  
And everyone we're with will be embarrassed,  
And I won't give a shit._

As the evening came to a close, Ginny pulled Hermione to the side and looked at her seriously. "Hermione, why are you still with him?" she asked roughly.

"He's just been grumpy today," Hermione lied. "We're fine."

Ginny gave her a warning look. "I don't believe you."

"Really," Hermione insisted. "He's just in a bad mood today. The alcohol didn't help. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal."

Eyeing Hermione nervously, Ginny nodded and walked towards the door where Harry was waiting for her. "We'll see you lot later," Harry smiled, waving as they walked out the door.

Hermione and Ron waved as Harry and Ginny left, soon followed by Neville and Luna. "I'm off to bed," Ron grumbled and began walking up the stairs.

Without a word, Hermione walked into the kitchen and started washing up the dishes from dinner. She tried to be quiet; Ron got crabby when it was too loud for him to fall asleep. One by one she put the plates in the cupboard and glasses above the sink. Thoughts flew through her mind.

Was Ron really just having a bad day, or was she making excuses? She wasn't happy. Hell, she was miserable. The only time that she was happy was when Ron wasn't happy. They had been fighting more often, but she couldn't bring herself to leave him. It was so easy to just…stay with him. If they broke it off she would likely have to move, and she couldn't afford that on her own yet. It was more convenient to deal with his childish antics. But she couldn't help but wonder just what else she would have to deal with in the days, weeks, and months to come.

_My fingertips are holding on to the cracks in our foundation,  
And I know that I should let go but I can't.  
And every time we fight I know it's not right,  
Every time that you're upset and I smile,  
I know I should forget, but I can't._

The next morning, Hermione sat around the table reading that day's copy of the _Daily Prophet_. She sipped at her tea and ate her oatmeal slowly. It was only natural for Ron to sleep in on the weekends. He'd wake around eleven, demand food, and become frustrated when Hermione told him there was leftover oatmeal on the stovetop.

Like usual, Ron sauntered downstairs, his eyes leavy-lidded and his hair in a mess. He grumbled something; Hermione assumed he was asking where the food was. She pointed to the stovetop and turned back to her newspaper. "Where's my tea?" he asked.

"Get it yourself," Hermione instructed without looking up.

He grumbled, this time something inaudible that Hermione couldn't interpret. Much clanging resounded from the kitchen, but Hermione continued to read. He haphazardly tossed his bowl and teacup onto the table and sat down. "Shit," he mumbled.

Sighing, Hermione looked up at him, inquiring with her eyes. "I forgot lemons and sugar," he explained angrily.

Hermione scooted the plate in front of her across the table to him. On it were sugar cubes and lemon slices. He took them without a word, and Hermione rolled her eyes at his behavior. "What was with you last night?" he asked, oatmeal spewing from his mouth.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied calmly.

"Oh, yes you do," he threw down his spoon and looked at her, annoyed. "You were being a total bitch. If I don't want people to know something about me, they're not going to know. Remember that next time, will you?"

"Grow up, Ronald," Hermione said firmly. "They were bound to hear about it anyway. And it's not that big of a deal. It was just a cute little anecdote."

"Shut it, Hermione," he replied angrily. "Stop using your fancy words and talk to me like a normal person. I'm your _boyfriend_ for God's sake."

"Are you? Really? Maybe if you acted like it once in a while I'd be a little happier."

Ron looked flabbergasted for a moment before replying, "You're so bitter all the time. Stop eating all the lemons and get over yourself. Maybe if you'd stop thinking that you're better than me we wouldn't be fighting all the time!"

"Come off it," Hermione laughed, standing from the table. He stood as well, defensive of himself. "I'd probably be better off with your friends anyway." She patted his stomach with a smile and said, "They're much fitter than you."

Without another word or a glance backwards, she walked up the stairs to take a nice, warm shower and revel in her courage. Her words were stinging Ron deep and she knew it. He cared about how he compared to his friends more than he wanted to admit.

Downstairs, Ron was fuming. He wanted to chase Hermione up the stairs and give her a proper talking to, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. If steam could have flown from his ears, it would have been. He decided to clear the table, but he kept replaying her comments in his head. He put the teacups in the sink, but the anger coursing from his veins was too strong. The cups shattered when they hit the edges of the sink, as did the bowls he put in there as well. Clanking and clamoring resounded around the house, and Hermione cringed with the sound of each breaking dish.

She bit her lip. She had reacted a bit harshly and childishly, but he needed to hear it. She climbed into the shower and bathed quickly. Sometimes she wasn't sure just what Ron's anger would make him do, but excitement coursed through her veins every time she got him worked up. After her shower she went to her office in their flat, leaving him to take his anger out on inanimate objects. She decided to avoid him for the rest of the day, hoping that he'd be rid of his anger before she had to face him again.

_You said I must eat so many lemons,  
'Cause I am so bitter.  
I said I'd rather be with your friends mate,  
'Cause they are much fitter._

_Yes it was childish and you got aggressive,  
And I must admit that I was a bit scared,  
But it gives me thrills to wind you up._

Ron left around five o'clock that evening without giving Hermione any warning at all. She wouldn't have even known he'd left if he hadn't slammed the door. A few hours later, Ginny was standing on Hermione's doorstep. "Hey, how are you doing?" she asked when Hermione let her in.

"I'm okay, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked quickly, confused.

Ginny hadn't warned that she was going to visit. "Ron came by the house. He, Harry, and the guys are going out to the pubs tonight. He said you were being, and I quote, an 'insufferable know-it-all bitch' that he didn't want to deal with anymore. I'm guessing by anymore he meant the rest of the night," she added.

"Well, if he weren't such a prat we wouldn't be having these problems," Hermione explained, ushering Ginny in. "He acts like a petulant child all the time. It's like I'm his mother, not his girlfriend."

"You must have really said something bad this time," Ginny observed, looking down in the sink while Hermione put on tea.

Ginny held up a piece of broken glass and waited for Hermione to explain herself. "Okay, I'll admit, it was immature, but I was so angry at him!" she said. Ginny waited for more explanation. Sighing, Hermione continued, "I basically told him he was fat and that I'd be better off with one of his friends. But he called me bitter and told me to stop being a bitch and I'm not being a bitch!"

She took a deep breath and said, "I'm not a child, I'm sorry. What I did was wrong, but he won't even give me a chance to apologize. I get so wrapped up with my anger when he says something like that, I can't help but retaliate."

Ginny eyed Hermione nervously. "Hermione, I know you may not want to hear this, but you need to break up with Ron," she told the brunette. "You don't see it now, but you will. He's bad for you and you can do so much better."

"So after seven years of you lot telling us we need to date, now you're telling me to stop spending time with him and just move out and start life over again?" Hermione asked incredulously. "It's not that easy."

"Hermione, just…think about it, please," Ginny begged. "You can stay with Harry and I if you need space until you get on your feet. I'm sure Neville and Luna would do the same, too."

_My fingertips are holding on to the cracks in our foundation,  
And I know that I should let go, but I can't.  
And every time we fight I know it's not right,  
Every time that you're upset and I smile,  
I know I should forget, but I can't._

Ginny left after some Ron-less chatter and a few cups of tea. Hermione lounged around their flat, enjoying the peace and quiet. She was reading a book until late that night when a clanging resounded from the front door. Hermione defensively rushed in, only to find a very drunken Ron stumbling through the door. Sighing in frustration, Hermione rushed forward.

He was surprisingly amiable in his drunken stupor. He looked at Hermione with a dumb smile and spoke what she assumed were pleasantries. It was difficult to understand him because he was slurring his words so much. "Let's get you upstairs," she told him, cringing at his face.

If there was one thing Hermione couldn't stand to look at, it was Ron when he was drunk. His face got a disgusting pasty white color; worse than the typical redheaded pale skin she was used to. He kept trying to make slurred conversation, but she just dragged him to the stairs.

Just as they reached the landing of the stairs, Ron became very quiet. Seconds later, a wretched sound came from next to Hermione. Her shoes were instantly covered in alcohol-induced vomit. "Ron!" she protested angrily.

"Sorry, 'Mione," he giggled like a child. "I…I coul'nt help it."

"These were my new shoes!" Hermione admonished. "I bought them _yesterday_!"

Ron didn't have anything to say. He was quickly falling to the ground, the alcohol leading him to unconsciousness quickly. Hermione tossed off her shoes, disgusted, and rushed upstairs, leaving her boyfriend passed out on the floor.

Once in her room, she fumed for a few seconds before returning to her rational mind. "I've got to go," she began talking to herself. "I can't do this right now," she said, tears wringing at her eyes. "I need to get away."

Reaching to the top shelves of her closet, Hermione pulled out a suitcase and began throwing clothes in it. It was the most haphazard pile of clothes, but at the time she didn't mind. She needed to get out of the house, and quickly. Hermione zipped the suitcase shut, slipped on a pair of old shoes, and went back downstairs.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, one last vengeful thought crossed her mind. Smirking, she walked over to the thermostat and turned it down as low as it would go. Ron would have to learn his lesson sometime. With one last look at the pitiful redheaded heap on the floor, she grabbed her purse and left the flat, slamming the door behind her.

Hiding in an alley, she Apparated to Harry and Ginny's flat. Nervously, she rang the doorbell. Ginny answered after a few minutes. "Ginny, I'm sorry. Can I stay here tonight? I know Ron was just here, but…"

"Ron left hours ago, Hermione," Ginny explained, ushering the brunette inside.

Harry stood at the bottom of the stairs. "What's going on?"

"I just…I can't be at the house tonight," Hermione said, fighting back tears.

"What did he do now?" Harry asked, leading Hermione to the living room while Ginny put on tea.

"He came back drunk," Hermione sighed. "I know he does that all the time, but this time he threw up on my new shoes and I'm tired of cleaning up after him. I'm not his mother. He broke a bunch of our dishes today, too. He's ruining everything and I can't stand it!"

Ginny offered Hermione a cup of tea that she accepted gladly. Hermione sat between the two of them on the couch. Tears finally began to pour when she really thought about the situation. "I'm going to be stuck with him forever!" she wailed.

"No you're not," Harry insisted.

"But…everyone wanted us together," she hiccupped. "I don't want to disappoint people."

"Hermione, Ron's the one that's disappointing us," Ginny explained. "And if we had known that this was how he'd treat you, we never would have tried to set you two up in the first place."

"He's being a right git and you shouldn't stay with him for our sakes," Harry added. "We want you happy. That's really all we want."

Hermione smiled weakly. "And I'm sure mum would kick his arse if she knew all this was happening," Ginny added with a smile.

Sipping her tea quietly, Hermione thought about the situation at hand. "Do you think I could stay here for a while? I think I need to find a place of my own and move on," she said quietly.

"Of course," Ginny said instantly, and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," Hermione smiled.

"Come on, let's get you settled in. The guest room is upstairs," Harry said as Hermione finished her cup of tea.

Ginny led Hermione, and Harry followed, carrying her suitcase for her. Soon she was settled in to the guest room, and her companions were asleep down the hall. Lying back in bed, she thought about the past days, moths, years. All the time she had wasted on Ron didn't seem like that big of a deal. She was getting to relive the excitement of starting a life on her own, but really alone this time. Exhilaration and sadness coursed through her veins. Telling Ron that she didn't want to be with him was going to be difficult, but it was what had to be done. It was for the best and she knew that. So, for the first time in a while, Hermione had a full, peaceful sleep that night.

_Your face is pasty 'cause you've gone and got so wasted,  
What a surprise,  
Don't want to look at your face,  
'Cause it's making me sick._

_You've gone and got sick on my trainers,  
I only got these yesterday.  
Oh my gosh,  
I cannot be bothered with this._

_Well I'll leave you there 'til the morning,  
And I purposely won't turn the heating on,  
And dear God,  
I hope I'm not stuck with this one._

_Every time we fight I know it's not right,  
Every time that you're upset and I smile,  
I know I should forget,  
But I can't._

**There you go! If you haven't heard of Kate Nash or heard the song, I definitely recommend it to you! Otherwise, please review!**


End file.
